Joan Laporta reveals Messi Ballon d'Or snub as Barca president desperately attempts to build bridges

Martin Macdonald

• 23 Feb 2026 05:01 CST
• 3 min read

News

Barcelona presidential candidate Joan Laporta has revealed that Lionel Messi snubbed him at the 2023 Ballon d'Or ceremony in which the Argentine claimed his eighth Ballon d'Or.

During his time at Barca, Messi made his way through the famed La Masia academy to develop into a player many consider to be the greatest of all time.

He won everything possible at Camp Nou but ended up leaving the club under a cloud with no fanfare as Barcelona had to let him leave on a free transfer to Paris Saint-Germain.

Barca's dire finances meant that they could no longer afford to sign Messi to an extended contract due La Liga's strict salary regulations.

Following that departure, Laporta hit headlines when he said it was his wish that Messi played for the club for free.

"There came a time when both parties saw that it would not be possible. There was disappointment on both sides," Laporta said to radio station RAC1.

"He wanted to stay but they also had a lot of pressure because of the offer they had. I hoped Messi would do a U-turn and he would say he would play for free.

"I would have liked that and I would have been all for it. It is my understanding La Liga would have accepted it. But we cannot ask a player of Messi's stature to do this."

Messi then completely denied that he was ever asked to play for free

"As I explained on my way out, I did everything possible to stay, never at any time was I asked to play for free," he confirmed to Sport.

"I was asked to cut my salary by 50 per cent and I did it without any problem. We were able to help the club more. The desire of me and my family was to stay in Barcelona.

"This makes people think and generates a type of doubt that I think I do not deserve."

It is these kind of interactions that have led to a fracture in the relationship between Messi and the hierarchy at Camp Nou.

It was always assumed by most that the player would complete an emotional return to Barca at some point for a proper farewell. That hasn't happened and he eventually left PSG to sign for Major League Soccer outfit Inter Miami, with whom he is tied to until 2028.

Ballon d'Or snub

There will be a presidential election at Barcelona in March and Laporta is again one of the candidates. In order to be eligible for election, he has to stand down from his current post, so at the moment he is an ex-president.

Every single candidate up for election has spoken about a desire to bring Messi back due to the sporting and economic benefits it would bring the club.

Laporta has continually talked about how he regrets the weakened relationship between himself and Messi and told Catalunya Radio that the Argentine refused to speak to him at the 2023 Ballon d'Or ceremony.

“The relationship with Messi isn't what it used to be," he said.

“There was also an incident at the Ballon d'Or ceremony where I went to greet him, and he felt we shouldn't greet each other. Since then, there has been some rapprochement, and hopefully, this will continue in the future. The relationship is strained, but he's a Barcelona legend.”

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